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Thursday, December 28, 2017

Interview with author Michael Sprankle

Author Michael Sprankle is
here today and we’re chatting about The
Ghost of Tom Mix.

Bio:

Michael Sprankle is an American author of journalistic style
fiction.

His writing style combines the interaction of
events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and
that impact society to at least some degree. He is a graduate of Penn State
University with a BA in film. His books feature the recurring themes of drug
abuse, comedy, everyday life, art, crime and conspiracy theories. He has worked
as a bit-writer for major motion pictures and television shows, and has worked
for some of the largest studios in Hollywood. Literary influences who have
inspired his writing are recognizable in his novels and include Hunter
Thompson, William Burroughs, and Dan Brown.Novels include:Once Upon a Time in New York, How I Painted My
MasterpieceLove & Theft (in the 2016 Pulitzer
competition)The Killing SpringI Want to Believe

The streetlights began
turning off one by one as we drove underneath them, leaving a darkened freeway
behind us. When we got to Tom Mix Wash, the thermometer on the dash stopped
functioning, our cell phones lost service, and the dash lights flickered and
died, including the light that lit up the clock on the dash. I continued to
drive, but we were both totally freaked out. The inside of the car got very
cold…

What exciting story are you working on
next?

My
next project is The Apocalypse Within
with co-writer Rick Cherry. It is an
absorbing story of the end of civilization relayed through a handful of
tortured characters. It will be coming out in early 2018.

When did you first consider yourself a
writer?

From early on, I kept a journal of everything
interesting in my life. Like most of us writers, writing is an outlet. It is a
way to block out all the noise and distraction in life…the craziness, and just
think, focus, and release whatever thoughts have been weighing heavy on our
hearts and minds. Along with the little “stargate” that writing provides for
me, it has also taught me many things. I have noticed that I write in more than
one way. Sometimes, I write for others. I write what I think people would like
to read, or what they can relate to. The schizophrenic me writes for myself. I
write about certain things based entirely on how I feel or even how I feel
about certain things. And sometimes, I am at a total loss as to what to write
about which forces me to become very creative; so, I pull some dusty file out
of the back of my mind. Writing has shown me a few things. Writing has shown me
that it's okay to write about whatever it is I want to write about, that this
is my creation to write and my story to tell; there is no right or wrong way,
and that is a nice feeling to have. In this sense I create a monster, and bring
that monster to life. I also have never been much of a social butterfly and I
am somewhat closed when it comes to feelings or personal matters. It is through
my writing that I can express these things in a more comfortable manner than I
feel I would otherwise.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's
your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find
time to write?

I
don’t write full time, but if you are serious about writing, you must write
every day. One of my quirks or habits, is that even when I can’t physically be
writing, I am constantly writing in my head. I write when I’m driving…sometimes
even when I’m watching TV. I maintain a daily routine of writing as religiously
as the most driven marathon runner. I can’t afford to wait for a lightning bolt
of inspiration to strike before sitting down and staring at a blank page.

What would you say is your interesting
writing quirk?

My most interesting
quirk bar far is the way I twist things around in my stories. The best plot
twist is an unexpected one. This means something happens that the reader could
in no way infer was going to happen, or perhaps a change in the story that
might not have been completely unexpected, but occurred at a completely
unexpected time in the story. Try giving your story an open ending, try
something unexpected, and be sure at least one of your characters is shifty.

As a child, what did you want to be when
you grew up?

Laugh if you
will, but I wanted to be a movie star. I actually almost was. To find out how,
you would have to read my novel Love
& Theft.

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About Me

I'm a NH native and love New England. I love writing about the region, exploring it on foot, on my bicycle, and in my car. There are so many small communities and fun and interesting people in this area, that I could be here a lifetime and not do all it is I want to do. :)

I'm a moderator at The Writer's Chatroom that hosts live chats with guest authors on Sunday nights 7-9PM EST. Join the e-mail list to get notifications of upcoming guests, then stop in and join the conversation!